


The Penguins' Penguin

by tailor31415



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-07
Updated: 2014-04-07
Packaged: 2018-01-18 14:06:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1431250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tailor31415/pseuds/tailor31415
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>based on a tumblr post, in which everything is the same except Sidney Crosby has a penguin following him around</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Penguins' Penguin

**Author's Note:**

> based on [this post](http://glovehand.tumblr.com/post/82021098244/fic-where-everything-is-exactly-the-same-except-a), in which everything is the same except Sidney Crosby has a penguin following him around

            On July 30, 2005, Sidney Crosby pulls a Penguins jersey over his head for the first time, smiles for the camera, and then blinks at the woman who walks up and says, “Here’s your penguin.”

            He glances at the bird and then over at Mr. Lemieux - call me Mario - and Mario merely beams at him. So Sidney looks back at the woman and shrugs out a sincere, “Okay, thank you.”

 

            He doesn’t quite understand, but no one ever questions the penguin, so he thinks he must have missed something along the way. He only ever sees it at the arena, where it follows him from the door into the locker room, out to the ice, and back again.

            It always cries pitifully at the boards when he skates, even just in practice, hopping up and down on the bench like it wants to be out with him. The guys always laugh about it and Mario bumps him in the side sometimes and says, “I hear enough of that at home – go take care of your bird.”        

            So Sidney gives it fish and takes it out after everyone heads back to strip down and skates while the little thing slides along with him, chirping and trilling like this is the most joyous thing in the world.

            And, alright, Sidney thinks the same every time he’s on the ice too.

           

            The first game of the season, the entire crowd coos when Sidney walks out with the penguin by his side, and he firmly tells the bird, “No, you can’t come out with me this time,” and perhaps it looks more forlorn than usual and the crowd definitely notices.

            The jumbotron camera remains fixed on the penguin for the entirety of Sidney’s first lap on game ice in front of a crowd. And Sidney doesn’t actually mind.

            Though he does ten minutes into the period when the penguin won’t stop crying and the Devils are chirping him about his baby needing him as they slam him into the boards.

 

            And when the season comes to an end and they haven’t even made playoffs, Sidney buries his face in his penguin and lets out all the grief that he doesn’t show anyone else.

            The bird chirps softly in his ear and nuzzles at his hair and everything looks better after that.

 

            The first practice of the 2006 season Evegni Malkin is present for, he nearly knocks over Gonchar elbowing him in the side and excitedly muttering in Russian while staring at Sidney’s penguin.

            “He wants to know why penguin,” Gonch informs Sidney, all the while trying to bat Malkin’s hands away.

            Sidney looks down at the bird, who looks back up at him and quickly loses interest, waddling off towards where Sidney keeps the fish. “Oh,” he says, “I actually don’t know.”

            Malkin listens to Gonch and then beams at Sidney, waving between him and the penguin. “Can he pet?” Gonch says dryly. He adds in a soft stage-whisper, “He loves animals so.”

            Snapping his fingers, Sidney attracts the attention on the animal in question, who quickly waddles back over and nips gently at his fingers. He nods at Malkin, who steps closely slowly and bends down to brush his fingers softly over the bird’s head. He mutters something in words that sound full of awe and gratitude and he beams at Sidney as he sits down and continues to pet.

            Sidney watches him curiously and when Gonch asks, “Penguin’s name?” he scratches his head and admits, “I don’t think I ever gave him one.”

            “Stanislav,” Malkin says suddenly, chucking the bird under its chin and making it chirp, “Stas!”

            When Sidney gives him a glance, Gonch shrugs and says, “Close to Stanley.”        

            Sidney isn’t quite sure what to think of that – it seems close to making him out to be one of those guys who names their kid after the Cup – but he can always tell the media Malkin came up with it, so he shrugs again and the penguin becomes Stas.

 

            On June 12, 2009, Sidney sits on the bench, holding Stas tight against his side as he waits for his knee to work again. His head feels woozy from everything he’s taken, but he wants to be on the ice, and suddenly he thinks that this must be what Stas feels like every time Sidney’s out there without him, when he cries all alone.

            He watches his team play tired and battered, and bites his lip to hold back the shouts he wants to let loose.

            But the time runs out and they did it, without him, for him, for everyone and Stas trills out next to him on the bench and somehow that gives him the strength to force himself up and over the boards to join the team at the center of the ice.

            And he skates out to the sound of Stas’ cries ringing in his ears over the crowd, and, for the first time, they sound happy.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know - hope it make you smile at least?


End file.
